bg2311
Community Member
The 3 holes on the back of the tank mean that you can use a tunable 'bean animal' style 3 pipe drain (it's quiet, plus allows for an emergency overflow drain if the primary one gets clogged). It's good that you left that extra space behind the tank between it and the wall. Makes getting in there that much easier when you occasionally need to. As for the filter socks, you have tons of room in that sump so I would recommend looking into a rollermat solution when you get tired of changing/washing them. Changing filters socks was probably my least favorite part of tank maintenance so it often went a week or more instead of the every 3 days that they should be changed out. Accumulated algae/waste is still sitting in the water column breaking down and putting excess nutrients back into the tank until you change the socks out. Unlike with a rollermat the waste is removed automatically on a fleece roller that you only have to change out once every month or two depending on how much waste is being produced. Far easier maintenance wise once they are setup and you definitely have room for one with that setup. The rollermat is by far the best part of our sump. As for the UV sterilizer on the wall, what is the wattage? It looks rather small for that size tank, though having it on there won't hurt anything. They typically are relatively large when sized appropriately for a tank that big. Something else to consider is that they also need a specific flow rate to be effective, usually measured in gallons per hour so having some sort of valve (like a 1/4 turn ball valve) that can control how much water goes through the sterilizer will be useful to you. You can always add that in-line with it later. Should you adjust the way it's mounted or add a larger one, be sure to leave yourself enough clearance above the unit to slide the bulb out for when it needs servicing.
